Imagine if we could create a world where the cycle of water poverty is truly broken, where no family has to use an unsafe water source because their pump is broken, and where no child attends a school without access to clean water. Girls are free to carry books to classrooms, instead of missing school to carry water from distant rivers. Families are finally relieved of the social, economic, and health burdens associated with poor water supply and sanitation.

Imagine if we could show that all of the children and families in one part of a country have access to water and sanitation — indefinitely. We would have “total district solutions” instead of scattered fixes.

Imagine if we could build the financial and technical support to ensure that water flows every day, for years and years to come. When the pumps rust and need to be replaced, the people in these communities and their governments are empowered with the skills, knowledge, and resources to replace their systems themselves — without depending on another development organization to fix their problem.

Imagine if we could create a visual monitoring system that gave parents, teachers, and children in communities the skills and knowledge to show the world the status of their water systems long after development organizations and other donors have left. The communities signal what is working and what is not. Imagine if development organizations, governments, aid agencies, and donors could be held accountable, and could see which solutions really work for communities long after the pumps are installed, the ribbons are cut, and the cameras stop rolling.

Imagine if this goal of achieving total and long-term water and sanitation coverage were to be emulated by other groups in other communities, other districts, and other countries. Imagine ending the cycle of water poverty.

IMAGINATION IN ACTION

Water For People is working to create that world where the cycle of water poverty has ended, placing long-lasting solutions, accountability, and empowerment by building skills, knowledge, and responsibility at the heart of our strategy. We are demonstrating that a focused, district-wide campaign that seeks to provide everyone in the area with sustainable services is not only possible but achievable. In addition, we are putting real power in the hands of the people with whom we humbly work every day: girls and boys, mothers and fathers.

We work in districts and municipalities in India, Africa, and Central and South America where our goal is to provide total, sustainable coverage of water and sanitation needs in all communities, schools, and clinics. To accomplish this we work to develop the systems and local finance so that local governments and communities can keep their own services functioning and extend those services as the population grows. By working this way, we ensure that when those water and sanitation systems reach the end of their useful lives, they can be replaced without seeking the support of another external development organization or donor.

We offer communities a portfolio of solutions. We leverage our finances by insisting that communities and local government contribute financially to their water and sanitation solutions; this creates cultures of payment for value, rather than dependency. We harness the power of the local private sector to provide sustainable operations and maintenance support, through innovative mobile mechanics. We perform rigorous monitoring through volunteer professionals from the World Water Corps®. We hold ourselves and our partners accountable.

We define success not only by the goal of total sustainable coverage in targeted districts/municipalities, but also by seeing our model adopted and replicated elsewhere, without our direct financial support, in other parts of Africa, Asia, and Central and South America.

VISION

Water For People works to build a world where all people have access to safe drinking water and sanitation, a world where no one suffers or dies from a water- or sanitation-related disease.

MISSION

Water For People works with people and partners to develop innovative and long-lasting solutions to the water, sanitation, and hygiene problems in the developing world. We strive to continually improve, to experiment with promising new ideas, and to leverage resources to multiply our impact.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

• We believe in people.

We respect the dignity of all people.

• We keep it local.

We believe that water, sanitation, and hygiene problems are most effectively solved using local resources.

• We keep good company.

We search out trusted partners who share our vision and work together to build long-term relationships based on trust.

• We keep our promises.

We believe we owe it to the communities we serve, our volunteers, staff and donors to act with integrity and manage our resources effectively and efficiently.